Kentucky vs Baylor: Last-Minute Preview for SEC vs. Big 12 Showdown

World Cup Draw? Robinson Cano to the Mariners? Anticipation of the most important college football day of the season? Full slate of NBA action?

I'll have none of the above, please.

On an a wild and all-encompassing sports day, there's a late-night college basketball game that is flying under the radar: John Calipari's No. 3 Kentucky vs. Scott Drew's No. 20 Baylor in the inaugural Big 12-SEC Challenge at AT&T Stadium, the site of this year's Final Four.

Both young teams are still ironing out the kinks (which you wouldn't be able to tell by their combined 14-2 record), but you aren't going to find many other December games featuring more future NBA talent.

Calipari's squad is first in America in both offensive rebounding percentage (48.0) and two-point field-goal percentage defense (37.2), which is pretty much the least surprising thing ever with Julius Randle and Willie Cauley-Stein patrolling the interior.

Randle is averaging a double-double (18.1 points, 12.6 rebounds) through his first eight collegiate games, and considering his blend of strength, size and athleticism, he is incredibly difficult to keep out of the paint and off the glass.

Sophomore Cauley-Stein, a 7-footer who had the necessary agility to play wide receiver in high school, is doing his best impression of Anthony Davis, averaging 3.9 blocks and 1.3 steals on the season. He is 13th in the nation in block percentage, and has the ability to alter everything at the rim.

Cory Jefferson is a relentless source of hustle, energy and toughness, while Isaiah Austin is a unique prospect—he stands 7'0" tall with Inspector Gadget go-go-arm length, but can handle the ball and has the ability to score from the perimeter. With 3.3 blocks per contest, he's also decent at protecting the rim.

The Bears can also make it rain from the outside, as they currently sit at 18th in America in three-point shooting percentage.

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Senior Brady Heslip, who has seemingly been around Waco for the last decade, is a big part of that, knocking down over three treys per contest at a ridiculous 52.0 percent clip.

Prediction

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This is one of the most compelling games of the early season, as both teams feature some of the best big-man rotations in the country, as well as loads of athletic ability all over the court.

The best player of the loaded bunch, though, is Randle, who should be able to have his way with Jefferson, while Cauley-Stein is a tough matchup for Austin.

On the perimeter, Kentucky has the athleticism in Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison and James Young not only to bother Heslip, but also to penetrate and get Baylor's bigs in foul trouble.

The 'Cats are second in America in getting to the free-throw line (FTA/FGA) and have fouled out an astounding 10 players through eight games, as per the team's box scores.

There is potentially trouble if the Wildcats, against a Baylor team that tends to go zone, go cold from the outside or settle too much, but overall, they have the tools to win this game.